AUSTIN, Texas – Angele Cooper felt right at home in the 81st Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on Friday.

The Wilson High senior, who has signed a letter of intent to the University of Texas, helped the Bruins post the qualifying time in the girls 800-meter relay and the No. 2 mark in the 1,600 relay for today’s finals.

On a windy and blustery afternoon, Cooper ran the second leg on a team of Alycia Presley, Olivia Hudson and Nyjah Cousar at 1:39.18. Cooper anchored the 1,600 relay of Christina Smith, Cousar and Presley to a heat win in 3:49.67.

It will be a busy day for Cooper, who will also run on the Bruins’ 400-meter relay this afternoon in a quest to push her career Texas Relays title total to seven.

Cooper ran on the Bruins’ winning 800 relays as a freshman in 2005 and as a sophomore, and in the 400 and 1,600 in 2006.

Wilson’s biggest challenge likely will to come from Lancaster, which had the top time in the preliminaries in the 1,600 at 3:45.84 and was two hundredths of a second behind Wilson the 800 relay at 1:39.20.

“We came here to win. We already know what to expect,” Cooper said about Wilson, which was named the meet’s most outstanding team in 2006. “We’re ready for any obstacles. I feel confident and I know that we’re going to do well. We have to just focus.”

Cooper knows that will be difficult with the expectations of competing on her future college track. She had no doubts about signing with Longhorns after competing in the Texas Relays as a freshman and a sophomore. She quickly developed a bond with Coach Beverly Kearney on her official visit.

“I really liked Coach Beverly and I like the athletes. I like the facility and I like the school,” Cooper said.

“People always used to say that Austin is the most beautiful place in Texas. I came here and fell in love with it.”

In the collegiate competition, Wilson High graduates Carol Rodriguez of USC and Shelise Williams of Arkansas will run in today’s 400 and 1,600 relay finals.

Rodriguez, a senior, was the No. 2 qualifier in the 100 preliminaries at 11.46 and ran on the Trojans’ heat-winning 400 relay that ran 45.05. USC had the top qualifying mark of 3:39.99 running without Rodriguez.

Williams, a freshman, anchored Arkansas’ heat-winning 400 relay (45.61) and was a member of the Razorbacks’ 1,600 relay that had the second best time of 3:41.95.

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